MusicRadar

There is no more iconic design than the Stratocaster (© Guitarist Magazine)

1 of 3 » View in gallery

• Related News
• Review

It's never going to suit those bottom-heavy metal rhythm sounds, but it can cope comfortably with a huge range from Beatle-esque wiry jangle to ballsy alternative rock, especially with the sixth string tuned to D or below and more esoteric chord voicings employed in the case of the later.

A maple-necked Strat will probably always sound a touch brighter than a rosewood, so it's worth A/B testing both versions before choosing.

While the middle and neck pickups are not exactly oozing woody spank in quite the same way as a good vintage example or Custom Shop Time Machine, there's more than enough of the essential Stratocaster character to do the business in any of the myriad genres in which this instrument excels.

The neck position in particular is a superb voice for smoky electric blues and, when backed off, those cleaner Frusciante moments.

The 'in-between' positions two and four aren't quite as quacky as some, and although for some this is a good thing, the relative merits of such things are rather subjective depending upon exactly what you want from your Strat.

The new internal shielding seems to contribute to better behaviour in terms of extraneous noise, even when hooked up in front of a computer monitor.

Ultimately though, upgrading to noise-free units from the likes of Kinman or Fender's own Noiseless pickups is the only solution if 60-cycle hum is to be banished completely.